“Lai Di, this young man surnamed He is not like Zhao Qingsong. Do you remember Third Brother from your Aunt Zhao’s family? He’s about to be promoted to regiment commander. A regiment commander is on the same level as a county magistrate. If you marry him, you’ll live a life of comfort. From then on, no one in the village will dare look down on our Qin family…”
“He’s been married before.”
“That doesn’t matter. His first wife was from the city. They didn’t get along, so they divorced. Men are all the same, always liking the new and disliking the old. Our Third Brother is handsome—no need to worry…”
“He has children.”
“They’re still young. The older one is five, the younger one is two. As long as you treat them well, isn’t the kindness of raising greater than the kindness of giving birth?”
Qin Laidi sneered inwardly. Being a stepmother was never easy. Especially with her temper—those stepchildren each had their own schemes. She had suffered enough, not to mention how they would turn on her once they grew up. She had practically been skinned alive!
“Hey, you stubborn girl, why are you arguing with me? I’ve lived this long—what hardships haven’t I endured? You’ll have food, clothing, and status. What more do you want?”
Qin Laidi stiffened her neck. There were a thousand words in her heart, but none could be spoken now. Suddenly, her eyes flickered. “But I heard he’s very ‘filial.’ Out of his 48 yuan monthly salary, he sends 40 back home.”
It sounded like an offhand remark from a young girl, but it instantly changed Qin Guihua’s expression. “Y-you… who told you that?”
In her previous life, Qin Laidi only found out how “filial” Zhao Qingsong was after marriage. “Last time when I was washing clothes by the river, Aunt Zhao said it herself. She was quite proud, saying the five-room brick house at home was built with money Third Brother sent back.”
Qin Guihua moved her lips. When you marry a man, you rely on him for food and clothing. If a man is too filial, then it’s the woman who suffers.
“Silly girl, with our conditions, being able to find someone like Zhao Third is already a blessing from our ancestors. It’s just a pity… why can’t things be perfect on both ends?”
She was even thinking that if she could warm Zhao Third’s heart, maybe she could get hold of his salary too.
Qin Laidi smiled bitterly. Probably every girl willing to be a stepmother had this kind of wishful thinking. But some people’s hearts could never be warmed. What Zhao Qingsong lacked wasn’t love or a wife—he needed a housewife, a free nanny.
“Grandma, I don’t want to be someone else’s nanny. I want to be a doctor in the future. I’ll earn a big house and a car for you and take care of you in your old age.”
Qin Guihua loved hearing that and smiled broadly. In all her years, neither her husband nor her sons had ever said such things to her. Only her third granddaughter, the little one she had raised in her arms.
Qin Laidi decided to push further. “Grandma, do you remember the old lady living alone in my eldest sister’s in-laws’ courtyard?”
“What does she have to do with anything?” Qin Ailan’s husband’s family lived in the county steel factory compound. She had been there a few times and had seen how pitiful that old woman was.
“I heard from the neighbors that she used to be a good girl too. But she married a man ten years older as his second wife. His first wife was only divorced. No matter how well she treated the stepchildren, they were still closer to their biological mother. The old man loved his children too. Afraid that if she had her own child, she might treat his children badly, he secretly went and had a sterilization surgery. Grandma, do you know what that is?”
The smile disappeared from Qin Guihua’s face.
If a man already had children, then he naturally wouldn’t care much about having more. Especially for those with state-allocated grain rations—there was only one job position. The more sons there were, the fiercer the competition. Housing was also tighter than in the countryside, unlike rural families who preferred having more sons to earn work points.
“I don’t know what kind of surgery it was. Anyway, that old man was cunning. Later, he secretly saved money to buy his son a house, a bicycle, and even helped him get married. Every time the old lady got sick, he said there was no money. Several times, he almost let her die.”
Qin Guihua said nothing, her face expressionless, but her fists clenched.
“What’s worse, when the old man got sick, the old lady took care of him for years. But after he died, the stepchildren drove her out. She could only build a shack by the compound wall and pick through garbage for food every day. Grandma, didn’t you see that last time?”
Qin Guihua finally couldn’t hold back. “Bah!”
“That rotten old man was wicked—damn him!”
Qin Laidi gritted her teeth. All of this was what she had personally experienced in her previous life.
If she hadn’t sorted Zhao Qingsong’s belongings after his cremation, she would never have found the sterilization certificate. She had always wondered why others could get pregnant so easily while she couldn’t her entire life. If she hadn’t been driven out and gone to the neighborhood office for justice, she wouldn’t have known that the house she had lived in for decades had already been secretly transferred to his stepson the very year the property certificate was issued.
If Zhao Qingsong wanted to be a good father, then let him stay locked with his children and stop harming others.
At this moment, Qin Guihua had completely given up on Zhao Qingsong. But—“I heard that if you follow the army, they’ll even arrange a job for you. What a pity… if only you had studied harder or had some skills.”
“I do have skills, Grandma.”
Qin Guihua glared at her. “Be serious.”
“I am serious. I can become a doctor.”
Back in 1966, an old doctor named He had come to their village. It was said he was from a major hospital in the capital. Because she was mischievous, she often followed him around. When he fell ill, she secretly brought him food and water several times. He had taught her medicine for a few years.
Later, after following the army to Lenghe Town, once the stepchildren went to primary school, she had little to do. She was selected by the logistics department to attend a grassroots medical training program. Though it only lasted half a year, combined with her previous foundation, and with favorable policies, she was assigned to work as a doctor at the factory clinic, where she worked for several years.
They all attended the same classes, but she studied harder and more thoroughly than her peers. Within half a year of working, she already had more patients than the senior doctors. Word spread, and her medical skills became the clinic’s signature. Patients even came from the city to seek her out.
Those years were probably the happiest of her life.
She had a respectable job, a good salary, notable achievements, and had been promoted twice—soon to become the head of the clinic.
Unfortunately, because she was busy with work and neglected discipline, her stepson Zhao Haiyang got into fights, and Zhao Haiyan was bullied by her peers, crying every day. Teachers frequently called her in, and she grew exhausted.
So Zhao Qingsong, who was often away on assignments, made her quit her job. He promised to give her two-thirds of his salary and handle any difficulties in life. All she needed to do was take care of the two children.
He kept his promise. The children miraculously turned around and became top students in class. But who cared about what she had lost?
Thinking of this, Qin Laidi clenched her fists. Whoever wanted to be a stepmother could go ahead—she was determined to become a doctor!
Seeing her determination, Qin Guihua reluctantly took out several papers from her chest. “I was afraid of delays, so I forced him to give me these just now.”
Qin Laidi opened them—it was He Liansheng’s introduction letter and household registration booklet. Coincidentally, the stated purpose was for matchmaking and marriage… She suddenly recalled that in her previous life, Old He had indeed come to Shilan Province once. A batch of important equipment had been stolen from their factory, and as the technician responsible, he had come to retrieve it. To conceal the mission, he used this excuse.
After all, for a young man his age traveling such a long distance inland, it wasn’t easy to find a suitable reason.
“Grandma, go to the brigade office and get me a marriage introduction letter. We’ll wait for you at the village entrance.”
Qin Guihua was still dazed by her words and simply followed her instructions.
Meanwhile, He Liansheng was just as stunned.
He looked at the young girl in front of him—her cheeks rosy, two glossy braids resting on her shoulders, her bright eyes fixed on him. “You are…?”
“Your wife,” the Zhao family teased.
His handsome brows furrowed slightly, his emotions unreadable. “Little sister… comrade, come here.”
He pulled her aside to make sure no one could hear them. Then he said seriously, “This is a misunderstanding. Saving you was just a small act. I can’t take advantage of you…”
Qin Laidi found it amusing. Fool—in her previous life, you said the same thing. But back then, she was already a widowed grandmother. Why did you still hesitate? That hesitation cost you your lifetime happiness!
“Then I’m the one taking advantage.”
He Liansheng froze. He was tall, fair-skinned, with black hair and well-defined features—a typical handsome man. But in this era that favored square faces, he did look a bit like… a pretty boy.
But his physique—well…
“Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Qin Laidi. You’re He Liansheng, right?”
“Mm.” Looking at her outstretched fair hand, he hesitated to take it. He had already seen just how fair she was.
When he rescued her from the water, her soaked clothes had floated up. She had been lightly dressed in summer, and he had accidentally seen more than he should have. Feeling guilty, he handed over the documents when Qin Guihua insisted.
He wasn’t old-fashioned, but he had empathy. The Zhao family had already exaggerated her situation—saying she was an unmarriageable woman with several failed engagements. Village gossip was cruel. If people found out her privacy had been seen by a man, her chances of marriage would be even slimmer. He didn’t mind, but he understood.
“You may not know my situation—”
“I do. You’re from the capital, 23 years old, a discharged soldier. Your parents are in Beidahuang, and you work in Haicheng, right?”
The girl was striking, and her speech was crisp and confident. He Liansheng paused briefly.
Only for two seconds. “My left leg is disabled. Do you… mind?”
“I don’t.” Because it was a wound earned while saving comrades—a badge of honor.
And as long as she was here, she would find a way to heal his leg.
“I don’t like children. Most women wouldn’t accept that…”
“I accept it.” If you didn’t like children, then why did you soften every time you saw one in your previous life? Even if you wanted to remain child-free, she would change your mind—just wait.
“Can you take responsibility for your words?”
Qin Laidi narrowed her eyes like a sly, beautiful fox. “I can.”
Seeing the clarity and determination in her gaze, He Liansheng—never one to hesitate—said, “Then do you mind if we get married as soon as possible?”
There was already a lead on the stolen equipment. His comrades were still waiting in the province. He couldn’t delay—he had to leave by tomorrow at the latest. He suspected the culprits planned to smuggle the equipment out of the country through the north or northwest. If it crossed the border, it would be impossible to recover.
The equipment had been sent as samples for exhibition at Haicheng Second Factory, only to be stolen there. If it wasn’t recovered, the entire factory would suffer consequences. More than that, he couldn’t tolerate losing the fruits of their nation’s labor. Even at the cost of his life, he had to get it back.
“I don’t mind.”
“Good.”